Northfield Youth Choirs

Welcome to a beautiful, clean-white Minnesota winter! I hope you have all had the chance to enjoy the new fallen snow! The singers who attended Snow Days at Camp Omega this past weekend had a great time playing in it, tubing down it, building with it and being pulled up the hill on it!

Our NYC kids and families are amazing–I’ve said it all along. It was reinforced this weekend on retreat as I watched this bunch of 60 children live, play and rehearse together, take care of the camp and their living spaces together, and genuinely care for each other.

We enjoyed a wide variety of activities at Snow Days including incredible performances at Saturday’s “American Idol” talent show organized by the eighth graders. The kids entertained us with hilarious comedy, beautiful instrumental & vocal performances, riveting Broadway song and dance, funny fortune telling, thought-provoking speeches & poetry, and much more. Equally impressive was how the performers were enthusiastically supported and applauded by their peers. This group of young people is special. They are thoughtful, bright, and interested and engaged in life. The future in their hands looks bright!

A big thank you to our mighty chaperones who worked (and played!) hard this weekend to see that it was a success for our children: Michelle Shimek (who also got us safely back and forth as our #1 bus driver!), Mike Paulsen, Matthew Olivero, Gregg Iwanski & Karna Campion. Thanks to Rachel Haider, whose games and exercises helped the singers develop their expression and stage presence, and Nancy Huppert who assisted with a rehearsal. This is an organization of givers and it shows in the lives of the children!

This is going to be a very fun and rewarding winter into spring of music-making in the NYC!

Blessings to you today,
Liz

Hi all! Here’s a reminder that there are no NYC rehearsals on Monday, Jan. 22, since the Northfield Public School are not in session. See you all on the 29th!

The Junior Singers will participate in the opening of an art exhibit at St. Olaf’s Tostrud Center on Fri., Feb. 9 at 7 pm. “Building a Culture of Peace,” an exhibit in support of the International Decade for a Culture of Peace and Nonviolence for the Children of the World, will be shown in the college’s Tostrud /Skoglund Concourse, Feb. 5-25. In addition to the Junior Singers’ performance, the brief program on the 9th will include comments from Northfield Mayor Lee Lansing and a representative of Soka-Gakkai International, the creators of the exhibit.

Singers, please meet at the entrance to the Tostrud athletic facility at 6:45 pm in concert attire. The program will begin at 7 pm. For more information on this exhibit, visit: http://cultureofpeaceexhibit.org.

Snowdays for Concert and Treble choirs at Camp Omega, near Waterville, (http://www.campomega.org/ ) are Jan. 19-21. We’ll be arriving in time for dinner on Friday night. Meet at 4:15 p.m. on the west side of St. John’s Lutheran Church. The buses will depart at 4:30. We will arrive back at St. John’s on Sunday, Jan. 21 at 2 pm.

Snow Days Packing List:

• Sleeping bag and pillow
• Towel, washcloth and toiletries (hand soap is available)
• Pajamas
• Casual clothes
• Warm winter outerwear and boots
• Extra set of warm mittens which may be used on the tubing hill and rope tow. The rope tow can be very hard on mittens/gloves!
• Music bag with sharpened pencils and water bottle
• Necessary medication (give to chaperone for safekeeping)
• Board games, cards, homework and books (optional)
• Guitars and other musical instruments (optional)
• Props/costumes for talent show (optional)

Please don’t bring:

• Electronic devices, including personal music players.
• Cell phones. Choir parents will have a phone that can the singers can use. Thanks!

Concert Choir members will participate in Northfield’s community Martin Luther King, Jr. event on the evening of Mon., Jan. 15. Meet at the Middle School at 6 pm to rehearse. The program begins at 7 p.m. Wear concert attire (blue oxfords, black pants/skirts). Singers, please review “Cantate! Sing!” and “O, Colored Earth.” Be certain you know your parts! For more information on the event, visit: http://northfield.org/node/2498.